Advice & Tips

Protecting your pet by protecting your home

Chances are, the moment you see fleas on your cat or fleas and/or ticks on your dog, you spring into action. You’re ready to do whatever it takes to spare your pet discomfort, and protect it from disease.

What you may not realize, however, is that controlling the fleas and/or ticks you can see is only part of the solution. To protect your pet from repeat infestations, you must also rid your home of the eggs, larvae, flea pupae and tick nymphs that linger in carpeting, houseplants, basement, patio furniture and wall crevices — even your car.

Taming the wild indoors

Your veterinarian can guide you in your efforts to control fleas and ticks in your home and the surrounding area. Here are a few things to remember:

  • Flea control for your cat and flea and/or tick control for your dog is a continuous process, right from the start.
  • The fleas and ticks you can see have probably already laid eggs you can’t see —  throughout your home.
  • Unless you remove these eggs they’ll become the next generation of the infestation.
  • Work with your veterinarian to determine the treatment plan that’s right for your pet.
  • Keep your basement sealed, steam clean your carpets, take care of upholstered furniture and don’t forget to vacuum your car regularly.

Keeping outsiders out

Remember, the farther your pet roams out of doors, the more you need to control the environment around your home, whether it’s a half-acre suburban garden or a 40-acre patch of farmland. From mowing and trimming, to controlling wild animals, protecting your pet takes vigilance.

In most cases, just by taking a few simple precautions, you’ll find controlling fleas and/or ticks in the immediate environment is a manageable task.

The key thing is to make pest control a regular part of your cleaning regimen. Combined with routine veterinarian visits, these measures can help protect the health of your pet and your family.